Sir Isaac Newton
Newton had an apple tree just outside his kitchen. He would periodically sit under that tree, just thinking. One day, Newton became aware of an apple that fell from the tree and the theory of gravity was born, transforming physics. Awareness made that happen.
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was sitting in a coffee shop one afternoon. He noticed many people typing away at his Mac computers. He also noticed that the opened laptops displayed an upside down Apple logo. He finished his coffee, went back to Apple’s headquarters and instructed his designers to turn the Apple logo upside down so that when the Apple computer monitor was in the open position, everyone would see the Apple logo, right side up. Awareness made that happen.
Travis Kalanick
Kalanick had trouble hailing a cab one day. He wondered why hailing a cab was not easier. Uber was born. Awareness made that happen.
Benjamin Franklin
Franklin ran a print shop in Philadelphia. He wondered why the work produced in the morning was inferior to the work produced in the afternoon, which lead to a loss in profits. So he watched his workers in the morning and in the afternoon. It was common, in those days for individuals to drink beer with their breakfast, instead of water. Franklin removed all of the beer from his print shop and replaced it with spring water. Immediately, the quality of the morning print jobs improved, which led to higher profits. Awareness made that happen.
Watch what people around you are doing. Most likely, they will be tapping away at their cell phones, completely unaware of what’s going on all around them.
What a shame.
The first Rich Habit is Awareness. Awareness opens your eyes to the world around you. It allows you to see opportunities. And opportunities are all around you.
Every day a new Uber is waiting to be discovered. But opportunities only visit those who make Awareness a habit. When you are constantly distracted, opportunities remain invisible.
The next time you are in an airport, on a bus, in a train or sitting in a waiting room, stop what you doing and watch. Make Awareness a daily habit. Since most of your competition is spending their time distracted by their cell phones or iPads, Awareness offers you a competitive advantage. Be a part of the 1% – the Newton’s, the Job’s, the Kalanick’s and the Franklin’s – who are aware of their surroundings, looking for those opportunities that transform businesses and lives.
About Thomas C. Corley
This is such an excellent point! I did notice people rarely look up from their telephones everywhere they are. It’s fascinating where people can be while texting. I am going to become more aware of my surroundings from now on. I’ve worked hard not to get caught up in cell-phone-itis. Now I’ll work harder.